


Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs’ Tails

by deVien



Series: Obey Me! Secret Santa 2020 [2]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Comfort, Dia shows Luci how to properly tend his horns, Diavolo is smitten, Grooming, Lucifer is also smitten but he won't admit it because he's stubborn, M/M, No surprise from the Avatar of Pride but still, ObeyMeSecretSanta2020, Secret Santa, Set shortly after the fall, lucifer is tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deVien/pseuds/deVien
Summary: An #ObeyMeSecretSanta2020 gift for devinesin! Dia shows Luci how to properly tend his horns shortly after the fall.---Once they were both seated across from each other, Lucifer raised a dark brow at Diavolo’s excited and expectant gaze.“What?”“Well, you’re going to have to come closer than that!”“What do you mean?”“This shearstone isn’t for me, Lucifer! It’s meant exactly for the type of curve of your horns - I can’t show you on mine because I don’t have your beautiful spiral”.Garnet eyes slanted at the golden pair locked on his, “Diavolo. You are not touching my horns-”“But you agreed! This is the deal!”“That was not what-”The demon startled when Diavolo reached forward to drag his seat over by the arms with brute force, so close that their knees knocked together.“Stop it. You are going to let me tend to your horns. Once I am finished, I will leave”.The authority in the redhead’s tone took Lucifer very much by surprise. That was not a tone that was often directed at him, nor did he think that it ever would be. It was - well. Never mind that. He was simply too drained to argue against it...or so he told himself.
Relationships: Diavolo & Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Diavolo/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Series: Obey Me! Secret Santa 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066844
Comments: 21
Kudos: 108





	Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs’ Tails

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucifxcker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucifxcker/gifts).



> Happy holidays, folks!
> 
> I'm really pleased with this one. I didn't have a lot of time to do it and so was nervous that it might not turn out well...but Diavolo can make pretty much anything good. 
> 
> devinesin - I hope that you (and everyone else!) enjoys this!

The House of Lamentation was practically creaking under the emotional weight of its new occupants. 

Diavolo had tried to ensure that every need of each brother was taken care of but it was... _difficult_. While Lucifer seemed to be hot or cold, his brothers were either completely disinterested in him or highly suspicious. Which was fair, in his opinion. They didn’t have the same context that Lucifer did. All the same, the prince tried his best to be accommodating. 

It did not escape his notice that the eldest of the brothers seemed to be occupying himself with any work that Diavolo gave to him, almost as if the Morningstar was trying to encase himself in some paper tomb. And that just wouldn’t do! 

While he himself had grown up as an only child, he understood that the loss of Lillith and the aftermath of the fall from grace would take a deep toll on each of them...but Diavolo wouldn’t just sit back and allow Lucifer to bury his head in the sand. He needed to take some time off. Or, failing that, have a positive distraction! 

And so that is how Lord Diavolo found himself at the House of Lamentation with a little present for Lucifer tucked under his arm as he waited patiently for someone to open the door in response to his knocks.  
  
And he waited. 

Lights were glowing in the windows and so he was well aware that someone must be home. With this in mind, he decided to open the door and let himself in.  
  
Upon his entrance, he was greeted with absolutely nothing. Diavolo played with the thought of rummaging around the house to see who was hanging about so that he could quickly check on them...but the family likely wouldn’t appreciate him barging in like this. He could also hear the noises of Beelzebub devouring whatever sustenance he could find in the kitchen. While Diavolo fancied his bets in a battle against the Avatar of Gluttony if it came to it, he preferred to ensure that all of his imperial appendages and limbs left the house still connected to his person and undamaged. Barbatos would have a fit otherwise. 

The thought of Beelzebub even attempting to literally tear a strip off of him made him shudder before he continued on his way up the stairs. For once, it seemed eerily quiet. Diavolo couldn’t quite decide whether that was a good or bad thing. 

Once at the entrance to Lucifer’s room, the prince gave the entrance an upbeat rap of his knuckles. He heard the other demon’s voice from within, assumed that it was permission for entry (for why would it be anything else?) and made his way in with a bright smile. 

“Lucifer! I come-” Diavolo faltered ever so slightly as he took in the exhausted face in front of him. He was certain that if Lucifer had looked in the mirror recently, he wouldn’t have allowed anyone entry ; he was too tired to even attempt to keep his demonic additions from being visible, the dark circles under his eyes were deep and his colouring was unhealthy even for a demon, ”-bearing gifts...and it looks very much like you could use some perking up!” The scowl didn’t deter the other demon at all. In fact, he cheerily stood in front of his weary friend’s desk and offered out the box with a good natured smile.  
  
“I don’t have the time for such frivolity, my lord. I respectfully ask that you leave”. 

“Not until you’ve taken my gift”. Briefly, Lucifer wondered if the red-head enjoyed toying with him.  
“I don’t _want_ your gift. I’ve asked you for nothing-” Diavolo was quick to interrupt once the agitation in the other demon’s voice became apparent, “It’s simply a way of saying thank you, Lucifer. You have been working yourself to the bone on my behalf when it isn’t necessary to do so. It’s something practical, I promise. I’m well aware that you don’t have time for my ‘frivolities’ and other such nonsense”.  
  
The Avatar of Pride had to bite back a snarl. He was far too tired to deal with the mirthful twinkle in the prince’s eye and had half a mind to physically force the other demon out of his new home. However, he knew that wouldn’t bring him any peace and so he snatched the beautifully wrapped parcel from Diavolo’s outstretched hand, put it on the corner of his desk, and went back to his scribbling.  
  
Diavolo frowned.  
  
“Aren’t you going to open it?”  
“No”. Lucifer's curt tone left no room for arguing.  
“Fine,” Quick as a whip, Diavolo reached for the present and, without any ceremony, began ripping off the intricate wrappings as Lucifer stopped his work to stare.  
“My lord, what _are_ you doing?”  
“I’m opening your gift for you. _You_ may not have the time for these things, but _I_ do”.

The statement left Lucifer speechless. He had hoped that his hostile nature would guide Diavolo to leaving of his own accord...but it seemed to have the opposite effect. 

Once finished, the prince placed his offering on top of the other demon’s paperwork, “Ta-daaah!”  
The fallen angel stared at the offending parcel before looking back to Diavolo’s beaming face.  
  
“Aren’t you going to ask me what it is, Lucifer?”  
“...What is it, my lord?” It was almost a relief to have been prompted. He had already been running on empty before this rude interruption and was in no mental state to be trying to interpret what the object in front of him was. It looked something like a round brush - but there were no bristles to be found. It almost looked to be covered in a gradient of some sort of black grit...although what it could be used for, Lucifer had no idea. There was also a vial of...something in the box with it.   
  
“It’s a shearstone!”  
  
The Avatar of Pride continued to stare at the demon prince in front of him, expression clearly unimpressed. Diavolo simply laughed.  
“For your horns!”  
A pinched expression now graced Lucifer’s features. “And what would I need that for?”  
  
For a moment, the other demon faltered. It had occurred to him that the new demons might not know what tools to use to groom their new features, but he thought that they might have a basic understanding of the grooming process, “Well, it’s to keep your horns in shape. If you let them become overgrown, they might spiral closer to your head...they can also occasionally peel. But if you tend them regularly, there’s nothing to worry about”. 

Diavolo’s charming smile did nothing to lessen Lucifer’s unimpressed expression.  
  
“Ah, but I suppose that you may not know how to use it if you don’t know what it is…”  
His friend sighed again, “My lord, I know that you mean well but I really _must_ finish this. So if you would…” Lucifer left the unsaid words to hang in the air, certain that the prince would understand it as a dismissal.  
  
“Why don’t you let me show you how this works first?”  
  
The raven haired demon groaned and ran a gloved hand over his face. He was far, far too tired for this. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he was too tired to try and fight off Diavolo’s advances, but that’s not something that he would ever admit outloud.  
  
“Will you leave me in peace once we’re done?”  
“If that’s what you wish!” 

A sigh of defeat left Lucifer as he placed his pen down, “Fine then. You can give me your demonstration, but then I must insist that you leave”.  
  
Had the demon prince been graced with a tail, it would have been thumping madly at the other’s acquiescence.  
  
“Why don’t we sit by the fire then, Lucifer? It’ll be much more comfortable than here”. Reluctantly, the Avatar of Pride stood and made his way to the plush chairs by his fireplace. If it meant that the prince would leave sooner and he could continue with his work, then it was worth avoiding the argument. He just hoped that this would be quick.  
  
Once they were both seated across from each other, Lucifer raised a dark brow at Diavolo’s excited and expectant gaze.  
  
“What?”  
“Well, you’re going to have to come closer than that!”  
“What do you mean?”  
“This shearstone isn’t for me, Lucifer! It’s meant exactly for the type of curve of your horns - I can’t show you on mine because I don’t have your beautiful spiral”.  
Garnet eyes slanted at the golden pair locked on his, “Diavolo. You are _not_ touching my horns-”  
“But you agreed! This is the deal!”  
“That was _not_ what-”  
  
The demon startled when Diavolo reached forward to drag his seat over by the arms with brute force, so close that their knees knocked together.

“Stop it. You are going to let me tend to your horns. Once I am finished, I will leave”.  
  
The authority in the redhead’s tone took Lucifer very much by surprise. That was not a tone that was often directed at him, nor did he think that it ever would be. It was - well. Never mind that. He was simply too drained to argue against it...or so he told himself.  
  
Instead of verbalising his thoughts, the Morningstar allowed Diavolo to gently manoeuver him so that the prince could find the right place to start.

A large hand delicately cradled the base of one horn, the other holding the shearstone, “I’m going to start with the coarse side of the brush. This will likely feel a bit uncomfortable - but I will go through each section of your horns before switching to the finer sides. Once the bulk of everything is as smooth as it should be, I’ll rub oil into them. Any objections?” The timbre of Diavolo’s voice as he explained was...soothing.  
“No”.  
“Good”. Lucifer could practically feel Diavolo’s smile without even having to look. How annoying. 

The prince hadn’t been wrong. It did feel strange to feel the coarse grit against his horns - but it was also clearly needed. 

As more time passed, the sensations became rather pleasant. The longer it continued the more Lucifer’s guard fell which, in turn, had his body slowly melting into Diavolo’s touch. To say that Diavolo didn’t mind would have been a vast understatement. He was perfectly pleased at the fact that his fallen angel was nearly cuddled into his lap in front of the fire - could anyone ask for more? 

Soft purring, the crackle of the fire and the gentle scraping of the grit against Lucifer’s horns were the only sound to grace the study. 

Diavolo only realised that the other had fallen asleep when he reached for the oil and felt dead weight against his shoulder. He managed to suppress his chuckle.  
  
He took great care when oiling Lucifer’s horns, ensuring that every inch was properly taken care of with a gentle touch. He didn’t want to wake the other when it was so clear that the rest was desperately needed.  
  
Once finished, the demon prince was left with a dilemma. What is one meant to do if one of the Seven Rulers of Hell falls asleep on one’s shoulder?  
  
After very little deliberation, Diavolo carefully repositioned the other male so that he could move him to the bed without waking him. As he moved, he tried to channel his inner Barbatos. The butler had moved the prince’s sleeping form without disturbing his slumber thousands of times when he had been a boy...surely it couldn’t be that much more difficult with an adult demon. 

Had Lucifer not been so incredibly drained, Diavolo’s sloppy handling would have woken him. As luck had it, he was sleeping like the dead and didn’t stir when placed on his bed too heavily or when Diavolo tugged on his shoes in an attempt to wrench them off of his feet.   
  
Once the blanket was pulled over Lucifer’s sleeping form, Diavolo took a quick moment to enjoy the scene. Even with the signs of exhaustion carved into his features, the Avatar of Pride was beautiful; the firelight cast shadows that accentuated the beautiful lines of face, there were no signs of stress or irritation knitting his brow, his ebony horns were shining just as brightly in the low light as his silken hair… As much as he wanted to stay and continue admiring Lucifer’s stunning features, it was time for him to go.  
  
With a snap of Diavolo’s fingers, the room went dark.


End file.
